DEER HUNTING

Last month Mike and I had blood in our eye(s) because a deer left nubs in my cutting garden.

Just when we were busy thinking murderous thoughts, somehow that emotion morphed into deer delight.

Now Mike has hung a feeder at the far corner of the property.  We hope that by feeding them, they will have no reason to sample our tomatoes and phlox.

Basically, we're just bribing 'em not to steal from us.  We learned that principle from American foreign policy.

Mike says deer notice when something is new or not right.  Click to enlarge this smart doe.  She's looking up at the new feeder...trying to remember if the corn tree used to look like this.

In addition to Ms. Naughty (who now we call "Lonesome Doe" because she has no fawns)...our herd now includes two other mature doe named Thelma and Louise.  They each have twins that we just call "the kids".

That makes a grand total of SEVEN in our herd.  The deer come out several times a day and we find ourselves running to the window like it's snowing.



The fawns no longer nurse so they eat the corn, too.

Here's a pair of the kids saying "Uh... Momma....isn't this when we're supposed to run?  Check this out, Mom!"

We keep binoculars by the window and we can begin to tell the difference in the deer.

Lonesome Doe has a notched right ear and a scar down her side.

We didn't need binocs to see her markings in this shot taken by the game camera back in her outlaw days.

This is Thelma with her fawns.

One offspring is on task and the other clearly has had some caffeine.

It takes effort for Thelma to keep up with both of them now that they venture farther from her.  The days of traveling in a tight pack are over.

July Fourth we sat on the deck and could watch simultaneous fireworks to the west and to the northeast.  The woods lit up and the noise was loud and long both on Saturday and Sunday night.  That had to make the herd skittery.

I remember when our dog Sweetie would cower and slink next to the wall when firecrackers went off.  If Maltese hate them, I'm sure the deer do, too.

This week Louise has been coming with only one fawn and we're hoping that doesn't mean what we think it means.  It's a hard life in the wild.  With the triple digits, I've worried they were thirsty.  There is a pond pretty close and Mike says they get water in the leaves they eat.  Maybe we should put a long hose out there with a sprinkler.  I can't believe I just said that.

We have a friend named LeAnne who lives in the woods and loves to deer hunt.  But she has a fast rule for those hooved friends who come up close to her house.  If she names one, they are not fair game in the fall.  No wonder.